Always and Forever
by WakingFromADream
Summary: Because no matter what happened, no matter what may come their way, their love would prevail - always and forever. An anthology for Sasusaku Month 2013 - continued despite Sasusaku month being months ago. XD
1. In His Hands

**a/n: So it's Sasusaku month, and I'm finally participating! Whoohoo!**

**Title: **In His Hands

**Prompt:** Holding Hands

**Summary: **Every time she tried to hold his hand, he refused. Until that one time when he refused to let go of it.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K

* * *

He refused to hold hands.

It was simple. Sasuke Uchiha just wasn't a 'holding hands' type of guy. He didn't joke, he didn't smile, and he didn't hold hands. It was just who he was. Plain and simple.

At first, she was disappointed. They were boyfriend and girlfriend now, weren't they? In fact, they'd been going out for a couple of months now. They'd even kissed! They were together now, so she couldn't see why he refused to hold her hand. But every time she'd inch her hand closer to his on a date, in the movies, or just sitting together on the couch, he'd move his own hand away. And she'd sigh in disappointment and resignation, because she knew that no matter what, she would never get him to hold hands with her.

So she resigned herself to that fact and accepted it. Sasuke Uchiha would never hold her hand.

Until that one time he did.

It was a simple mission. Sakura and Sasuke were tasked to infiltrate a mansion, steal a scroll, and deliver it to the Hokage. That was it. Sounded easy enough. They were counting on an easy infiltration, a quick escape and safe trip home.

What they _weren't_ counting on were some S-rank ninja that were also after the scroll, being trapped on the edge of a cliff with a raging river 50 feet down and facing ten very skilled and very angry ninja in a wide open area on the way home.

One look into each other's eyes and they knew what to do. They had grown so close that one look was all it took to send volumes of words to each other. They were at each other's side, punching and kicking and attacking and defending until it was all a blur and all Sasuke could see was arms and legs and a head of pink hair beside him.

And suddenly, it disappeared. It vanished. The pink head of hair was gone.

That was when he panicked. The Uchiha attacked with a new vigor, slicing up every enemy with his Kusanagi and burning them with his black flames. He could vaguely hear himself screaming Sakura's name, but it seemed so surreal. He could hardly believe it was the stone cold stoic Uchiha screaming so _desperately_ for her. And once they had all been defeated, once they'd all scurried back to the cover of the trees, he whipped his head around…

…just in time to see the rock underneath Sakura's feet crumble, and she plunged into the roaring waters.

Then he screamed. A scream so heartbreaking and so desperate and it felt like he was seeing his family massacred once again.

He didn't realize his feet had moved until he threw himself on the edge of the cliff and just managed to grab her hand in the nick of time. He lay on his stomach, her hand in his as she dangled above a chasm that would certainly lead to her death.

"Sasuke…" she whispered, as he struggled to hold on. "Let me go."

"No." he growled, gripping her hand more tightly than ever. "Never."

"You can't hold on forever. Let go."

"No."

"Sasuke…" she looked up at him, her green eyes filled with calm and acceptance. "You'll die with me if you do this."

"No!" he yelled, as his arm began to ache. "You're not dying, and I'm not letting you go!"

"Please! I don't want you to die with me!"

"_NO!"_ he shouted, so loudly that her green eyes widened in shock. "I'm. Not. Letting. You. GO!"

And with that, he grasped her hand and pulled. He pulled with all his strength, as if his life depended on it. And it did. Because without her, his life was over.

And they collapsed on the edge panting in exhaustion as he held her in his arms and refused to let go.

As they trudged back home, he held her hand. And he refused to let go ever since.


	2. More than a Pretty Face

**Title:** More than a Pretty Face

**Prompt:** Lessons Learned

**Summary: **The citizens of Konoha learned that Sakura Haruno was more than just a pretty face. And Sasuke? Sasuke learned never to mess with his angry girlfriend.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

"A bar?" He echoed.

"Yes Sasuke, a bar. Do I need to repeat everything for you?"

Sasuke sat on the sofa, deep in thought. On one hand, he had just gotten home, was extremely tired and wanted nothing more than a nap. On the other hand…

"Sasuke, I'm going with or without you."

His head snapped up. Sakura? With a bunch of drunk men? In that tight tank top and short skirt?

"I'm coming." He grumbled as he stood up to follow his girlfriend.

* * *

"Isn't this great?"

Sakura laughed, waving her drink around and dancing to the beat playing in the background. Sasuke sighed, leaning against the bar. After a grueling mission, he didn't feel like dancing. All he wanted was a nap.

"Awww…come on Sasuke. Lighten up. Have some fun. Please? For me?" And Sakura sidled up to him, delicately placing her lithe arm on his muscular one and batting her eyelashes. She smirked as he grumbled in defeat.

"Hey baby, wanna show me some of your moves?"

An obviously drunk man approached the pair, seemingly oblivious to Sasuke's murderous presence. The goons behind him sniggered as Sakura rolled her eyes in annoyance. Sasuke, on the other hand, pulled her closer to him possessively and gave the men his best 'you-are-so-dead-if-you-even-dare-touch-my-girlfri end' glare. Normally, boys would've scampered away in fright at the Uchiha's death stare, but these men seemed so drunk they hardly noticed.

"Babe, come on! Don't ya wanna dance with me? I promise, it'll be worth your while darlin'."

Sasuke could see that his girlfriend was starting to lose her patience, and quite frankly, so was he. He followed her gladly as she set down her drink and pulled him away from the drunkards as started to head out of the bar.

"Aw, come on sweetheart, don't leave now! We were just havin' fun weren't we?"

_Slap._

Sasuke and Sakura froze, the same thought running through their minds at the exact same instant. _Did that man just slap her butt?_

Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan immediately activated, his pupils transforming into ellipses. His mouth turned into a sadistic smile as he imagined all the torturous things he would do to the men and his goons. When he turned around, he saw a sight he wasn't expecting.

Sakura had beat him to it.

She stood in front of them, chakra scalpels in hand. Before Sasuke could even blink, she had slashed down both his arms, leaving them limp. Then she grabbed the man by the shoulders and delivered a crushing blow to the groin with her knee, a blow that had probably been strengthened with chakra. Sasuke cringed as the man crumpled to the ground, almost, _almost_ feeling the slightest hint of pity for him. He'd seen firsthand what Sakura's punches had done to solid ground and the fact that the man had just taken a chakra-enhanced blow to the groin…well…ouch.

Sakura turned her murderous glare onto the other men who suddenly seemed to sober up after seeing what just happened to their leader. They all trembled in fear as she clenched her fists.

"You wanna be next?"

At those four words, all the men scrambled out the door and out of the bar in fear, leaving their crumpled leader behind them. The kunoichi then turned to Sasuke with a smile so radiant that if Sasuke didn't know any better, he'd think that she'd just finished shopping for flowers instead of beating up a man so badly that he couldn't move. He silently gulped as she took his hand and they headed out of the bar.

On that night, the citizens of Konoha learned that Sakura was more than just a pretty face. And Sasuke? Sasuke learned to never _ever_ mess with his girlfriend – especially when she's angry.


	3. Watching from Afar

**Title: **Watching from Afar

**Prompt:** Watching

**Summary: **Just when she decided to stop watching him and start avoiding him, he decides to take action against her.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

When they were young, Sakura would always just watch him from afar. She admired his skill, admired his grace, admired his strength and admired _him_ all from afar. She never made a move, never made a sound in his presence. And he didn't acknowledge her existence. And that was how things stayed.

Until Sakura discovered that Ino liked him as well. Ino, her _best friend_, loved the same guy she did. And she panicked. Because Ino was perfect. Ino was the popular, beautiful, perfect little girl. And who would choose her, poor little Sakura Haruno with an ugly forehead, over the perfect Ino Yamanaka?

So she stepped out of the shadows. She stopped watching. She declared Ino as her rival and tried her best to win Sasuke's heart. When they were placed on the same team, she was elated. It was fate, she decided. They were meant to be together! So she tried harder than ever to win him over, to get him to love her, and just when she thought she was succeeding…

He left.

And broke her heart.

The next time she saw him, a long time after, she saw a different man. She didn't see the Sasuke she fell in love with. No. She saw a heartless, cold man who would kill others to pursue his goal.

And she never felt so broken and helpless.

After that, she saw him standing over an innocent woman's body. Her heart wrenched and she wished for the Sasuke she had before. But he was gone now. So she prepared herself. She saw an opening, a chance. And…and…

She thought she had decided. She thought she could do it. She thought…she thought she could kill him.

But she couldn't. She had the kunai to his back, but she couldn't do the deed. In the end, she was still the same old weak Sakura who couldn't help the ones she loved. As Naruto rescued her, she inwardly shed tears as she thought of how strong he had to be to do what she couldn't, and how weak she was to have to place the burden on his shoulders.

They met again in the throes of war, as team 7 reunited once again. This time, she showed them her power as she released her White Strength Seal. Together, they defeated the enemy and won the war, and for once Sakura was not left behind by her teammates.

But once everyone had settled, once the war had ended and Sasuke returned to the Leaf Village, Sakura couldn't bring herself to love him anymore. She was tired of getting her heart split in two. So she stopped watching him and started avoiding him.

Except…things were different. He was different, and so was she. And he didn't ignore her. He didn't dismiss her existence. In fact, he did the opposite.

She continued to try. But…he made it hard. He addressed her and talked to her more and more, and it became harder and harder to stay away from him. And no matter how she tried to avoid him, no matter how she tried to escape him, he always seemed to turn up wherever she went.

Until finally, she snapped. She confronted him. She was tired of trying to elude him.

"Sasuke, what do you want?"

"I told you. Naruto wants training practice and–"

"That's not what I meant. What do you want from me? Everywhere I go, everywhere I run, you chase me and you find me. What do you want?"

"…I want things to go back to normal, Sakura."

"Normal? Normal?" She scoffed. "What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"You're avoiding me."

"What do you want, Sasuke? I'll welcome you with open arms? I ask you if you want to go on a date with me? I'd secretly watch you from afar, my heart always in two because I know I'll never have you? Because I'm not the lovestruck twelve year old who'd do anything for you anymore, Sasuke. I've grown up now. I'm done watching you, and I'm done with having my heart broken. I'm done with you." And as she turned and walked away from him, hopefully for the last time, when…

"I'm sorry."

She whipped her head around in surprise. Sasuke Uchiha? _Apologizing?_

"I'm sorry for being a jerk, I'm sorry for being the way I was, and I'm sorry for taking you for granted. Ever since I came back, all I've been doing is watching _you_,and I don't want to anymore. I…I just want you back, Sakura."

And they stared at each other, her stare defiant and angry, his pleading and desperate.

Then she flung herself into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wrapped his own around her waist. She looked up at him and pressed her lips against his, their bodies fitting so _perfectly _with one another that it was astounding how they spent so much time apart.

That was the day that Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno stopped watching one another. That was the day they both took action, and said those three words.

"_I love you."_


	4. Wrong Choice

**Title: **Wrong Choice

**Prompt:** Misspent Youth

**Summary:** Every time she looked in those pitch-black eyes, she saw regret. Not for betraying his village, but by wasting his youth with the enemy when he could've spent it with her.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

So many years later, she could still see regret in his eyes. Every single time she looked at those onyx eyes, she could see them swimming in the depths of sorrow and loss, and she ached to know why. She wanted to know what caused him so much pain.

When she told Naruto about it, he had no idea what she was talking about. "Regret? Pain? Sakura, I know he mopes around all the time like some emo guy, but trust me, that's happy by his standards."

Then she'd grumble in frustration about 'shallow boys' and 'idiot' then stalk away. It was only a week later at their usual team get-together at Ichiraku Ramen that she realized that Naruto _couldn't_ see what she was seeing. Because when Sasuke looked at Naruto, the pain, the guilt, the anger in his eyes…it all disappeared. In fact, when he looked at anyone else, his eyes were the normal, angry, scowling Sasuke eyes everyone was used to.

It was only when he looked at her.

Only when his gaze laid on her did it all come back – all the guilt, all the disappointment, all the utter _sadness_ in his eyes would come flooding back, and it hurt her that she was the cause of all of it. After all, why would he look that way only when he was looking at her?

She wracked her brains over it for a while, until he asked her out. Then all her concerns vanished because _Sasuke_ the _love of her life_ just asked her out and now they were dating and, well, she was so caught up in the joy of all of it that she completely forgot about what she saw in his eyes.

A few months later, when the elation had died down, she realized he still hadn't stopped looking at her like that. And it nagged her for awhile, because she couldn't understand why.

So when they curled up on the couch one night, watching a movie with her head against his chest and his arm wrapped around her shoulder and she noticed him looking at her that way again, with all the pain in his eyes, she gave up. She turned to him, speaking softly. "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

He immediately looked away saying, "Nothing. The movie's nice."

She looked at him again with those soft, green eyes of hers, placing a delicate hand on him arm. "Sasuke…I know you. You've been looking at me like that ever since the war ended."

"Like what?"

"Like _that._" She tried to emphasize, propping herself up to look at him properly. "With your eyes full of guilt and pain and sadness. And you only ever look at _me_ like that, Sasuke. What's wrong? Did I do something?"

"Nothing." He said gruffly, still staring at the TV screen. "Watch the movie."

"No, Sasuke!" And he finally turned to her, his eyes as stoic as ever. "I want to know! You've been looking at me like I've done something to hurt you, and I want to know what! I want to know! Sasuke…I don't want you to hurt anymore."

And they glared at each other, green clashing with black. She finally broke it, turning to the TV screen, and so did he. But both of them knew that the other wasn't really watching.

"I left you."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she turned to look at him, though he continued to stare straight ahead. His black eyes seemed glassy, and she could see the light reflecting off of them.

"I was stupid." He said, still not looking at her. "All I wanted was power, to kill Itachi. And I left you."

She stared at him, a pang in her heart as she remembered that day. The day he left the Leaf Village. The day she pleaded with all her heart for him to stay, and he went anyway. The day her Sasuke left for Orochimaru.

"I got stronger there." He continued, his voice cracking. "But I would've gotten strong here too. With the Konoha 11. With Naruto. With you."

"Sasuke…"

"I shouldn't have left you. I shouldn't…I shouldn't have wasted my time there, when I could've spent all my time, all my youth with you. Sakura…I–"

And he was cut off as she wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her chin on his shoulders as he instinctively hugged her back. Her face was streaked with tears as he tried to hold back his own.

"Sasuke…I forgive you."

And it felt like a huge burden had been taken from him, as if he had been carrying the universe on his shoulders and now she had taken it away. He allowed himself one, solitary tear to run down his face as he wrapped her in his arms and buried his face in her neck in relief. They both stayed like that for what seemed like years but in reality was only a few minutes.

From that day forth Sakura never saw the regret in Sasuke's eyes again. Instead, she saw happiness. Happiness, because he knew that although he had misspent his youth, he knew that she had given him another chance. A chance he wouldn't take for granted. Never would he make the wrong choice ever again.


	5. Can't Stop the Tears

**Title:** Can't Stop the Tears

**Prompt:** Flood

**Summary:** He hated himself. What was the point of being able to battle hundreds of ninjas with one hand tied behind his back when he couldn't stop her flood of tears?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

He didn't want to tell her. Heck, no one did. Even the nurses didn't want to go near the hospital room. None of them wanted to see the heartbreak on the face of the one they had joyfully worked beside, the healer they had gotten so close to.

So he did it. It was his duty, after all. He was Sasuke Uchiha. As her husband, it was his responsibility to tell her what no woman would ever want to hear. That…that…

He didn't even want to think about it.

He stepped into the room and approached the hospital bed. She looked at him, her emerald green eyes sparkling with joy and excitement. She had been looking forward to this for months. Heck, she had been looking forward to this for forever. His heart broke as he imagined her look after he delivered the news.

"Where is he, Sasuke-kun?" she said, a bright smile on her face.

And he almost, _almost_ lost his resolve right there and then, but he told himself to be strong. Because he had a wife who needed him. He needed to be the strong one for her. He needed to be strong for Sakura.

So he took a deep breath, and told her.

The change was instantaneous. Her eyes lost their sparkle, and instead of joy, Sasuke saw shock and disbelief. The corners of her mouth turned down, her lower lip trembling. Her shoulders sagged, as if in defeat, and her hands shook uncontrollably.

"Sakura…it's not your fault."

Then that's when she burst. She collapsed, her head in her hands as he held her. Wave upon wave of tears spilled out of her eyes as she sobbed in sorrow. She let out a flood of tears and cried in his arms as he wrapped his arms around his shoulders in vain to console her.

But how could he? How could anyone comfort a mother that had just lost her child?

It was in that moment that Sasuke hated himself. Him, and him alone. He had never done that before. He had always put the blame on other people, and it had always worked out. When his clan died, he hated his brother. When he killed Itachi, he hated Konoha. But now…now the only one he hated was himself.

Because what was his purpose if he couldn't stop her flood of tears?

"It's all my fault, Sasuke…all my fault…I'm so sorry…" she whispered, sobs wracking her body. At those words, Sasuke's eyes hardened and he gripped her tighter.

"No. Don't say that. Don't ever say that." He growled, struggling not to let his own tears fall. He had to be strong for her, he repeated to himself. "He was already weak the second he was born, and there was nothing anyone could do."

"Why didn't anyone force me awake? I'm Tsunade's student! One of the best medical ninja in Konoha!"

"You were in labor for 47 hours, Sakura. I doubt even Tsunade could stay conscious after that."

"No. Tsunade-sama is strong. Stronger than I am. I bet she could've done something! She would've been able to save him!"

"Sakura, he was barely breathing. If Tsunade were alive, she wouldn't want you beating yourself up…"

"NO! It's my fault, it's always my fault! I'm never strong enough, never strong enough no matter how hard I try! _I can't even save my own son!"_

And she cried, a flood of tears pouring from her eyes as he cradled her in his arms. And he wanted to do anything to take away her pain, but he couldn't, and he hated feeling so useless and helpless. He felt like a little boy again, watching his older brother kill his family in front of his eyes and not being able to do anything about it, except now, he was watching his wife crumble in his arms.

And all he could do was hold her.

* * *

A few days later Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha stood in front of a gravestone, the words 'Itachi Uchiha' carved on delicately. Sakura leaned on Sasuke's chest, his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to him. They stood together in the cemetery, grieving for their child in silence.

* * *

As they lay in bed that night, Sakura laid her head on his chest, feeling the thud of his heart.

"Sasuke?"

"Hn." She smiled as she felt the comforting rumble of his chest.

"Thank you. Thank you…for…for being there, for staying with me, for–"

"You're welcome." he interrupted.

And she smiled, because she knew he understood her meaning better than words could ever convey. And he always would, because he was Sasuke, _her_ Sasuke, the one who'd always be there for her, who would always comfort her in times of need. And although she knew they would go through more challenging times, many more than she would be able to count, she knew that it wouldn't matter because he'd be there.

And he was all she needed, and all she would ever need.


	6. Never Doing This Again

**Title:** Never Doing This Again

**Prompt:** Baby-Sitting

**Summary:** He asked himself a hundred times why he agreed to do this, and he came to one conclusion. Sakura. Yep, this was definitely his wife's fault.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

Sasuke sat in the middle of the house, a disgruntled look on his face. He was on the brink of losing it, he was sure. He had cake and icing splattered on his face, and his once pristine outfit had paint all over it, as well as a trail of lipstick. He had bruises on his legs and a bite mark on his arm, as well as glue and glitter in his hair. He asked himself for the hundredth time why he agreed to do this, then he remembered. Sakura. Yep, this was definitely her fault.

* * *

_Four hours earlier…_

"SASUKE!"

The Uchiha sluggishly headed down the stairs at the sound of his demanding wife's voice. As he arrived at the foot of the stairs, he was immediately attacked by a pile of clothing, thrown at him by no other than Sakura Uchiha.

"Get dressed. We're going babysitting."

Sasuke could only stare at her blearily, not comprehending a single word. _Babysitting?_

"Come _on_ Sasuke! We need to hurry up! I promised the girls I'd be there at 8 and it's around 8:30 already. We're already running late!"

"Wait." He grumbled, putting on the shirt she had thrown at him and still not understanding anything. "What girls? What babysitting? What's going on?"

"Ino, Temari, Hinata and Tenten are all busy today, and they asked if I could help take care of the kids. Ino's going to another village with Sai for their anniversary, Temari and Shikamaru are visiting the Sand Village today, Hinata is having some sort of team get-together, Naruto's busy with Hokage stuff and Tenten and Neji are on a mission, so no one's taking care of their children."

"And you volunteered." Sasuke said flatly. "Why am I helping again?"

"_Because_ Sasuke," she replied, facing him with a stern look on her face. "You're my husband now, it's only for a day, and if you don't help me I'm not buying tomatoes for a week."

He gulped. No tomatoes? For a whole week?

Sakura meant business.

"Coming, Sasuke? They're all heading to Neji and Tenten's house, and we better be there soon." she yelled from the doorway.

"Coming." He grumbled, muttering something about the power of tomato threats.

* * *

"You're _leaving?"_ he said incredulously, his eyes widening at the very thought of being left with the kids alone for an hour.

"Sasuke, it's just an hour. I need to buy food to cook, or they won't be having lunch. Just entertain them. Let them draw or something. It'll be fine. If you can handle a hundred ninja, you can handle a bunch of kids. I'll be back soon."

And she left, leaving Sasuke with a bunch of hyperactive children and no way of knowing what to do with them.

"Uncle Sasuke! Uncle Sasuke!" exclaimed Akari, Ino and Sai's eldest child and only daughter. "Can we play with Auntie Tenten's makeup?"

"Hey! That's _my_ mommy's makeup. Only _I'm_ allowed to use it!" protested Megumi, the daughter who loved dresses and makeup just as much as her mother loved weaponry.

"Ewww…makeup's yucky. Let's play with Uncle Neji's kunai knives!" yelled Jun, Shikamaru and Temari's eldest child.

"Can't we just sleep?" asked Kenji, Jun's younger brother.

"All of that's boring." Muttered Rokuro, Ino and Sai's youngest child and only son, who was every bit as emotionless as his father. "I wanna draw."

"Uncle Sasuke." Said Yuuto, Megumi's older brother and Tenten and Neji's son. "I heard that you have the Sharingan, the kekkei genkai of the Uchihas. I would like to challenge you with my own kekkei genkai, the Byakugan I inherited from my father." Sasuke rolled his eyes at the boy's polite speech. Every bit the nobleman as his father, wasn't he?

"I bet my Byakugan's better than yours, Yuuto! I challenge you!" mocked Minato, Naruto and Hinata's oldest son.

"Minato, it's not nice to fight. We shouldn't hurt our cousins." whispered Natsume, Minato's younger sister.

Sasuke glanced around in exasperation. How was he going to control these children?

"Enough!" He yelled, quieting the bickering children at once. "We're not allowed to play with either Tenten's makeup or Neji's weapons, so we're going to draw."

A few minutes later, Sasuke was staring down at all the children, who were dutifully using paintbrushes and coloring pencils to draw to their heart's content.

"Ta-da!" exclaimed Megumi, holding her artwork up proudly. "I'm finished! Look! It's a forest!"

Sasuke stared hard at her 'forest', a bunch of brown downward strokes with green clouds on top of them. Before he could compliment her, someone else butted in.

"It's horrible. It looks like brown sticks with green cotton balls on top of them." Said Rokuro plainly.

Megumi pouted, saying, "Well if you're so good, what does _your_ forest look like?"

When Rokuro raised up his painting, Sasuke raised his eyebrows, impressed. His was painted in multitude of colors, and the trees were painted beautifully. He also showed a river winding through the forest, as well as a hawk circling overhead. In the background there was a setting sun, soaking the place in an array of yellows, reds and oranges. He had inherited all of his father's drawing talent, apparently.

All the children 'oohed' and 'aahed' at Rokuro's painting as he threw a satisfied smirk at Megumi's direction. In retaliation, she picked up a paintbrush and threw it at him with deadly accuracy, splattering Rokuro's face with paint.

"Take that! Mommy taught me how to do that." She said as she threw him her own satisfied smirk.

Sasuke's eyes widened as this turned into an all-out paint war, and he tried to intervene as the children all started throwing paint and paintbrushes at each other. Once he'd grabbed all the paintbrushes and put it out of their reach, he'd been splattered with around 17 different colors. He stared at them all, his Sharingan activated, making them all cower in fear, with the exception of Yuuto, who looked in fascination.

"Go to the kitchen, all of you." He growled.

They all rushed there in a matter of minutes as he bent down to clean up the mess.

* * *

When he entered the kitchen 30 minutes later, he realized something was wrong. Where was everyone?

"ATTACK!" yelled Jun.

And suddenly, a barrage of children attacked him. He collapsed to the ground as Akari yanked on his right leg and Jun pushed him. Kenji squirted glue in his hair lazily, as if he didn't have a care in the world. Rokuro bumped him away to place a cup full of purple glitter in his hair. At his right, Minato had leapt onto his arm and Sasuke clenched his teeth as he bit him painfully. Yuuto was sitting on his left arm and had a stick of lipstick, which he was trailing on Sasuke's shirt. He briefly looked down and saw Akari and Megumi kicking his legs as Natsume stared from afar, not wanting to be a part of the violence and eating a piece of cake.

"STOP!" He yelled forcefully, making everybody freeze. But it was too late. Jun had grabbed Natsume's cake and had thrown it at Sasuke, and all the children watched in fascination as the piece of cake flew in the air and landed squarely on the Uchiha's face.

There was an eerie silence as all the children clambered off of him and stared at him with solemn eyes. He looked at each and every one of them, and muttered two words.

"Upstairs. Now."

As they rushed upstairs, Sasuke sat on a stool. He grumbled. This was Sakura's fault. Definitely Sakura's fault.

"I'm home! Sasuke, you have to help me cook, and–SASUKE!" Sakura yelled, aghast as he turned to look at her.

"Kids are upstairs." He grumbled. "I'm cleaning up and taking a shower."

* * *

An hour later, Sasuke wondered what Sakura had that he didn't. They were all sitting on the floor of the living room obediently as she read them a story and they all listened in fascination. She had managed to calm them all down and clean them all up in an hour, and they had listened to her every word. Every time any of them argued, she calm them down with a stern look and a few gentle words, and they'd quickly apologize to each other. She seemed to have a special power over children, and they all obeyed her without question.

As the doorbell rang and the children were picked up by their parents, Sasuke and Sakura headed home. "So Sasuke," asked Sakura, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "how did you like baby-sitting?"

"Hn." He replied.

"Well, you better get used to it."

He turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised as he silently asked her what she meant.

She gave him a huge smile. "I'm pregnant."

And he stared at her open-mouthed as she ran off to their house, laughing all the way. Sasuke just stood in the middle of the road, trying to comprehend what he just heard.

He was going to be a father.

And he was going to have to undergo this torture _every single day._

He groaned. Tomatoes. He was going to need a lot of tomatoes.


	7. Saving Sakura

**Title: **Saving Sakura

**Prompt:** The Deep End

**Summary:** As Mikoto observed her son scrambling to save the girl in the pool, she knew that that pink-haired girl would be a very important person in Sasuke's life.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

"But mother! I want to go train with Itachi-kun!"

"Itachi needs to train, Sasuke. How is he supposed to become a good ninja?"

"_I_ want to be a good ninja! That's why I need to train with Itachi!"

"Sasuke, you'll become a good ninja if you listen to mommy. Itachi needs to train today, and you need to come with mommy to the pool party Hinata's hosting. Don't you remember Hinata-chan? Come on, all your academy friends will be there!"

"But–"

"I'll sneak in a bunch of tomatoes for you!" Mikoto said with a wink.

"…Can I train with Itachi tomorrow then?"

"If he has time honey. Now go on, grab your trunks. We don't want to be late." She said, kissing her son on the forehead and ushering him to his room.

* * *

Sasuke sat in his seat, eating the tomatoes Mikoto had brought to the party. It was all so boring. His mother had gone over to talk to a bunch of other moms, and he had been left alone on one of the tables. A bunch of other kids were playing in the pool, but he didn't feel like joining in. What he'd much rather do was train with Itachi instead of watching kids play.

"Are those yours?"

Sasuke looked beside him, coming face to face with a young girl who was staring at his tomatoes in curiosity. The first thing he noticed was her pink hair and her pretty emerald green eyes. The second thing he noticed was that she was staring at his tomatoes – _his _tomatoes, and she looked like she wanted to eat them.

"Yes." He said menacingly, going back to eating them and pretending she didn't exist in the hopes of driving her away.

"Can I have some?"

He turned to her once again, staring at her with an unfathomable look in his onyx eyes. The girl's own green eyes looked at him curiously, her head cocked to one side as she waited patiently for his answer.

"No."

She continued looking at him, not fazed at all with his curt and dismissive answer. When he realized that she wasn't going away, he stopped eating his tomatoes and gave her his meanest glare possible. Though it would've scared off even the toughest Academy bullies by now, she simply stared back at him, not moving from her place.

"Go. Away."

She gave him one last look before calmly walking away, staying alongside the edge of the pool. The pool in the Hyuuga's party had a floor that slanted downwards, so that one end of the pool was much deeper than the other. The pink-haired girl was walking on edge of the deep end of the pool lazily, staring at the water. All the children were in the shallow area, none being tall enough to stay in the deep end.

Sasuke, satisfied that the girl wouldn't bother him any longer, turned back to his tomatoes.

* * *

Mikoto smiled, laughing ever so slightly at the stories her friends were telling her. She missed being a jonin and being able to go on missions, but being a housewife did have its benefits, such as relaxation. Although she trusted Sasuke not to get into trouble, she still kept a watchful eye on him nonetheless.

"Leave me alone!"

Mikoto turned to her right to see a young girl with pink hair stubbornly facing a group of three girls.

"What are _you_ doing at this party, Sakura?" sneered one, a girl with purple hair. "This is only for _cool _people. You shouldn't be here."

"I was invited." The pink haired girl – Sakura, was it? – whispered softly. "So I came to the party."

"You shouldn't have been invited. No one wants you here, Forehead Girl!" As if on cue, the other two girls laughed with the one with purple hair.

Sakura looked down, and Mikoto felt her heart clench in both sadness and anger. At the corner of her eye, she saw her son looking at the girls in mild interest. Before she could step in, she saw Sakura clench her fists and look up once again, a fire burning in her green eyes. Mikoto smiled as she saw the pink haired girl steel her resolve, inwardly cheering her on.

"Oh yeah?" And all the girls stopped laughing at her words, their faces settling to an angry sneer once again. "Well, at least I'm not stupid enough to think that those flowers Ino threw in your mouth were flowers are poisonous, Ami!" And she stuck out her tongue and turned away towards the pool.

Several expressions flew across Ami's features, before settling on anger. "You little–!"

And she shoved her into the pool.

Mikoto gasped, watching the shocked little girl flew headfirst into the deep end of the pool, struggling to reach the edge, which was about a foot away from her reach. Ami had given her a pretty hard push, resulting in the poor girl now in the middle of the pool.

"SAKURA!" Mikoto whipped her head to her right, seeing a blond girl with short hair frantically screaming for help. "Someone help her! She can't swim! Sakura!" She yelled as the pink haired girl's head sunk underwater.

_Splash!_

At the sound, Mikoto turned her head to the pool once again, only to seen raven black hair…

Wait…raven black hair?

Where was Sasuke?

She widened her eyes as she realized her son had just dove in the pool, feeling a panic rise within her. Had he fallen in too? But Sasuke knew how to swim!

Until it hit her.

Her son was saving the little girl.

The young boy swam freestyle, reaching the girl in a matter of seconds and pulling her up out of the water, and Mikoto sighed in relief as the girl coughed and spluttered as she breathed in air. He dragged her towards the edge of the pool and with the blond girl's help, hoisted her up, still coughing. However, her eyes narrowed as the purple haired girl approached the trio.

"Are you alright? I am _so_ sorry!" exclaimed Ami. Somehow, her apology didn't sound sincere. "Wow Sasuke, you're _so_ brave! Thanks for saving her!" She plastered a smile on her face and batted her eyelashes, only to be surprised when the Uchiha boy turned his glare on her.

"You leave her alone." He growled angrily, his hand on Sakura's back. Mikoto cheered, a swell of pride rising for her son. Ami's smile faltered, and she backed away, her two minions behind her. Sasuke turned his head towards the girl who was now gulping in air, rubbing her back soothingly, a glimpse of concern showing on his face.

As an adult came by and wrapped a towel around Sakura's shoulders, Sasuke backed away, returning to his tomatoes. Before Mikoto could approach him, he grabbed the plate, returned to the girl, and shoved them in her face. At her questioning look, he said, "Eat. I'm not hungry anymore."

Mikoto shrewdly noticed a small blush on her son's cheeks as she gave him a small smile in thanks. Mikoto finally approached her son, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Come on, Sasuke, I'm so proud of you." She said, a beaming smile on her face.

As they turned to leave the scene, Sasuke had a strange look clouding his eyes. "Mother," he asked, his eyes still clouded. "What was her name?"

"Hm? Oh, I think it was Sakura."

"Sakura." He whispered, relishing the way it rolled off his tongue.

And Mikoto smiled. Call it a mother's intuition, but she knew that Sakura was going to be a very important girl in her son's life.


	8. Not Supposed to Happen

**Title: **Not Supposed to Happen

**Prompt:** Accidents Happen

**Summary:** No one was supposed to get hurt. No one was supposed to go to the hospital. But accidents happen, and not even the great Sasuke Uchiha can stop them.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha sat outside the hospital room, head in his hands. Naruto had fallen asleep long ago. Kakashi leaned on the wall opposite him, for once too worried to read his book. The three boys waited in a tense silence for any news about their teammate, the pink kunoichi they had all come to love.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was just a training session, a normal Team 7 training session. And no one was supposed to get hurt, no one was supposed to be sent to the hospital like this, much less Sakura.

But accidents happen, and no one can stop them.

* * *

"Are you sure we can train here, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"I mean, it's pretty close to the Academy. Any little kid might come over here any time. They might get hurt!"

"It's fine. Stop worrying."

"Hmph. Well, you should start worrying, Sasuke-kun! I'm not holding back!"

"Hn."

The two of them faced off in the open ground, each in a battle stance as they anticipated the other one's move. Sasuke's eyes widened as she suddenly rushed towards him at breakneck speed.

He smiled. This was going to be a fun training session.

* * *

_Summoning Justu!_

Sasuke grunted. Fighting his girlfriend was getting tougher every time. He'd even had to use his snake summons. He watched as she narrowed her eyes, judging his summons and deftly moving out of the way as they attacked. He had summoned his deadlier snakes, those that he had less control over. Although they would follow his every command, they were in to kill. But he trusted Sakura now. He knew she was a lot stronger than the little pinkette four years back, and she wouldn't even let them touch her. He smiled as she avoided them with skill, until…

"Hello?"

Sasuke's eyes widened at the sound of a small voice to his right. No. It can't be. It was a Saturday, and they had no school, and–

"Hello?"

He turned to see a small brunette girl standing innocently. No. This can't be happening. No one was supposed to be here!

"Snake! Snake!"

And suddenly, as if by magic, a snake was behind her, and before Sasuke could scream a command or release the summons, it had clamped its teeth…

…on Sakura Haruno.

How she got there, he didn't know. All he knew was she was there, in the jaws of a snake that _he had summoned_, and as he released all of his summons, he caught her broken, bloody body in his arms. He shook her, begging her to heal herself but her eyes were dulling, losing the sparkle the always had, and she was fading…

He cradled her in his arms as he teleported to the Hokage's office, in front of a surprised Tsunade and a shocked Kakashi, saying only one word.

"Help."

* * *

Sasuke waited in agony, hoping, _praying_ that she survived, because…because…

Then a nurse came out of the operation room, her white plastic gloves bloody and sweat beading on her forehead, a mask over her mouth. As Sasuke looked at her, his black eyes pleading for an explanation, she shook her head.

And his heart broke.

With a strangled scream, he rushed into the room and cradled her broken body. Her eyes were closed, and her body was getting colder every second. Tears streamed down his eyes, and for once, he let them. Then Naruto came in, sobbing, burying his face in her shirt, and Kakashi stood in the background, watching solemnly as Team 7 mourned the loss of their kunoichi.

* * *

Sasuke sat on the edge of his bed. He felt at a loss, like he had no direction. He knew how helpless he was now. After all…he could kill hundreds of ninja with his eyes, but he couldn't save the one person he loved.

He knew what to do.

* * *

Sasuke stepped on the edge of the cliff, tossing a lone pebble over the edge. After around a minute, he heard a small sound as the pebble hit the bottom of the chasm. It was very high, and no one would survive the fall. Not even Sasuke Uchiha.

He took a deep breath. So this was how it was going to go. Sasuke Uchiha was just strolling around, mourning the loss of his girlfriend, when he slipped off the path and plunged into the crevice. So lost in his grief, he couldn't save himself.

As the Uchiha took the step forward and fell, a wry smile graced his features.

After all, accidents happen.

* * *

_Okay, I realize I haven't said this before, but please review! I love it when people show their appreciation, especially since I've never written for Sasusaku month before! Thanks!_


	9. Blackmail

**Title: **Blackmail

**Prompt:** Bugs

**Summary: **As Sasuke confessed his love to her sleeping form, he knows that only the night sky can hear…and two sets of listening ears.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

"And on the count of three, open the paper. One, two…"

"Mine has a black dot!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

Sakura sighed in exasperation. "I told you Naruto, wait till I say three."

"Mine is blank." Muttered Sasuke gruffly. He always thought this routine of picking paper slips was a complete waste of time. Every time they were on a mission, they'd pick paper slips. Two would have black dots, the other two would be blank. Those with the same kind of paper would room together. It had become a Team 7 thing ever since Sakura thought of the idea. And everyone went along with it because Sakura had proposed it, and well, no one wanted to oppose her. They didn't want their medic nin to botch up healing them 'accidentally', did they?

"Mine is like Dickless." Said Sai, just as unemotional as ever. "So that means Ugly will be rooming with Sasuke."

Sakura gave a small smile at that, and hauled her backpack over her shoulder, heading to her room. "Okay."

Sasuke tried to ignore the feeling in his chest at the fact that he'd be rooming with her for the very first time.

* * *

_The following night…_

The moment they entered the room, Sakura collapsed on the bed in exhaustion. Completing the mission had been more tiring than she thought. After healing all her teammate's injuries, all she wanted to do was fall asleep.

"Sakura." Her roommate grunted, shaking her awake. "You're still injured."

"Hnnnn…Sasuke…leave me alone…"

"Heal yourself first."

"Hnnnngh…" she groaned again, falling back asleep. The Uchiha groaned in exasperation. Five years later, she was _still_ annoying.

He took her hand his, the sudden contact causing her to open her eyes the tiniest crack. "Use my chakra." He said exhaustedly.

"Sasuke, no, you barely have any, and–"

"Use it."

Too tired to complain, she healed herself and they both collapsed on the bed. One part of the Uchiha was screaming that Sakura Haruno was _right there_ beside him on the same bed and they were sleeping side by side, and the other part of him was telling him to shut up and go to sleep. He was about to shut his eyes when he felt her snuggle up to him, causing him to widen his eyes the tiniest fraction.

"Sakura–"

"Shhhh, Sasuke. You're warm."

And he didn't resist, although every fiber of his body was telling him that this was just wrong, because he didn't love Sakura, at least not in that way, right? I mean, he loved her as a friend, a good friend, maybe more than that…but…not in that way, right?

Right?

Somehow, it didn't sound as convincing as Sakura's breathes so close to his ear.

"Sasuke-kun." She muttered sleepily, her breaths becoming shallower. "I love you."

Sasuke struggled to keep his eyes open, hoping he didn't just image what she said. "Hn."

"I mean it Sasuke. I love you. I always have."

Now. He had to say it. He had to say it or it would burst out of him. As he felt her breathing even out and was sure she was asleep, he whispered it into the night sky.

"I love you too."

* * *

"YES!" The blond boy exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air in joy. "Finally! Took you long enough, teme!"

"It is not proper etiquette to spy on people when they are sleeping, I believe." Said Sai, as he sat down on the chair across Naruto. "I believe you should be giving them their 'personal space'. I highly doubt you are doing that right now, Dickless."

"Oh shut up Sai. I knew bugging their room was a good idea! Now I have blackmail material!"

"Oh you do now?"

Naruto gulped, turning around to see a very pissed Uchiha holding the microphones Naruto had planted in his room in one hand. "I found these in my room. Care to tell me who's responsible?" He growled.

"Ah, Sasuke! Ah…listen, I can explain…"

"Dickless has been listening in on your conversations ever since you and Ugly have been rooming together." Sai said nonchalantly, earning a glare from Naruto.

"Sasuke! I can explain! Ah, why is your Mangekyo Sharingan activated? Sasuke? SASUKE!"

* * *

Please review? Thanks so much!


	10. Wrong In Every Way

**Title: **Wrong in Every Way

**Prompt:** Recipe

**Summary: **This was so wrong. The daughter of a wealthy noblewoman and the son of the head of the mafia shouldn't fall in love. It's a recipe for disaster. AU.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

This was so wrong. Sending coded messages, sneaking out of the house, it was all so wrong. I shouldn't be doing this. Every fiber of my body was telling me to stop this, stop all of it. I'm the daughter of a wealthy noblewoman. I should have more sense than this! I should have better judgment! I shouldn't be thinking like a lovestruck teenager!

But…I can't help it. Every time I look into those eyes, every time I hear his gruff voice, I feel a need to break all the rules, break all the boundaries for him. With him, I care no longer. My whole world focuses on him, and him alone.

Sasuke Uchiha.

My Romeo. The one man I should have never, ever gotten myself involved with. The boy who should be taboo in my eyes. The son of the head of one of the biggest mafias in the world. The boy I shouldn't even be giving a second glance, much less one of love and admiration. The boy I am forbidden from seeing. The boy I should not be in love with.

The boy I can't help but love.

I open my window, peeking outside to check if anyone' watching. I hop onto the tree beside my windowsill, climbing down until I land on the ground. Although it's pitch black and I barely see the road signs, I don't need to check them any longer. I have long since memorized the directions to our secret meeting spot.

_Left. A right at the next junction. Wait for the fourth stoplight, then right again. Turn left at the corner._

I sneak into the back of the alley of the building, cautiously checking around for anyone following me. I reprimand myself again, like I had done so many times before. I shouldn't be doing this. I should be better than this.

"You're late."

At the sound of his deep, gruff voice, my heart crumbles and my legs turn to jelly. All those excuses, all my resolve melt at the sound of his voice. Oh, the effect he has on me. I turn around to see his masculine form leaning on the brick wall, his arms crossed.

"Sasuke."

He grunts, and I stumble into his arms, my arms wrapping instinctively around his neck. As if some force were manipulating us, our lips connect and I moan. Oh, how I yearn for his touch. His being. Every fiber of me screams for him, for Sasuke. His touch electrifies me, and it's something I've felt so many times before, yet each time is different yet the same.

It's so confusing. He's so confusing. Our love is so confusing.

He pulls me roughly against him and I forget all my troubles as we continue kissing, conveying all our passion, all our love through our lips. I fist my hands in his hair and press my body even closer to his as his lips move down to my neck. I let out a little gasp of pleasure as he kisses me tenderly and captures my lips once again, leaving me breathless.

As I lean onto his chest, breathing in his scent and relishing, just relishing the time we have together, I tell myself again that this is wrong. It should be. There are a million ways this can go down, and all of them aren't pleasant. Because we aren't meant to be. I'm Sakura Haruno, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, and he is Sasuke Uchiha, the son of a mafia leader.

Yet why does it feel so _right_ to be together? Why does it feel as if we are one? Why does it feel as if I _need_ him every minute, every second of my life?

He wraps his arms around me, placing his chin on my shoulder. I place my head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. And we stand together against the wall, bathed in the moonlight in the presence of the night sky. The lovestruck couple that shouldn't be. The forbidden lovers. The Romeo and Juliet whose lives will end in tragedy.

Sasuke and I aren't meant to be. The two of us…we're just a recipe for disaster.

Yet I know we cannot part, and we will never part. Because I love him, and he loves me. And that is all we need. Nothing can ever stop our love.

"I love you, Sasuke."

"…I…I love you, Sakura."


	11. Off Limits

**Title: **Off Limits

**Prompt:** Classified

**Summary: **A few misunderstood words and actions causes Sasuke to come to one very wrong conclusion…

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

When Sasuke Uchiha looked unhappy, well, it was normal to say the least. Only his true friends knew the difference between unhappy Sasuke and looks-unhappy Sasuke. When Sasuke looked unhappy, it was fine to hang around him and clap him on the back and laugh. When he was unhappy, it was smart to leave him alone.

When Sasuke was downright pissed, however, it was smart to stay far, far away from him.

And today Sasuke was downright pissed, which explained the 10-yard radius around him.

They all knew the secret behind his anger, his fury. Because there was only one person in the world could possibly make him this angry. And that was his wife, Sakura. And when those two fought…Konoha shook in fear.

* * *

_Hours earlier…_

"Where are you going?"

"Hm?"

"I said, where are you going?"

"What makes you think I'm going somewhere, Sasuke-kun?"

"You're dressed up."

"So?"

"I want to know where you're going."

"I'm going to the hospital. Happy?"

"But it's your day off. Why are you going there?"

"…That's classified."

"What?"

"I said, it's classified. You can't know, Sasuke-kun. Well, gotta go! Bye!"

This of course left the poor Sasuke in shock at the doorstep of their house. Sakura? Not telling him something? In fact, the mere thought of _anyone_ defying him was a thought that never crossed the Uchiha's mind.

As if to rub things in, all the villagers were whispering every time he passed by. And to make it worse, they kept trying – emphasis on the word _trying _– to cover it up and make it look like it wasn't him they were talking about. Hmph. As if he was an idiot! He could tell that they were all talking about him by their not-so-discreet glances and their very loud whispers.

After an hour, he got fed up. He cornered both Naruto and Kiba, who were whispering secretly in the corner of the room and glancing at him every so often. When he walked over to them, hunched over with his hands in his pant pockets, he noticed as their eyes both widened and they whisked back to doing whatever it was they were doing.

He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and looked down upon his friends, who were now shivering in fear. "What is going on?"

"Ah, nothing! Nothing at all!" Naruto said nervously.

"I'm not an idiot! I know you're hiding something! What is it? Why is everyone talking about me?" He roared, staring down at them.

They both looked up at him, before breaking down. "Sorry Sasuke! We can't tell you!" bawled Naruto.

"Yeah! Sakura told us she'd kill us if we told you!" wailed Kiba.

And Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. His wife was behind this? Why would his wife orchestrate this? People talking about them behind their backs, her sneaking off somewhere…only one possibility came to mind.

She was having an affair.

The thought broke his heart in two. After the pain came the blinding anger. She was having an affair! With some random doctor in the hospital!

In a flash, he arrived at the hospital. He located her chakra and barged into the room she was in, his eyes baring the mark of the Mangekyo Sharingan. There, he saw a horrendous sight. Sakura was talking with a doctor. A male doctor.

He screamed and punched the table they were seated beside, and grabbed the man by the collar, lifting him up in the air. "You're him! You're the man she's having an affair with!" He smashed him into the wall, the man trembling in fear as he let him face the wrath of the Uchiha's kekkei genkai.

"Sasuke! SASUKE STOP IT!" Sakura screamed. He paid her no heed, staring at the man with his eyes.

"Sasuke!" And the Uchiha felt a hand on his shoulder wrench him around, then saw a hand approach his face before he could stop it.

_Slap!_

He dropped the man and caressed his face, still in shock at the fact that not only did his wife cheat on him, she slapped him as well.

"I'm not cheating on you, Sasuke." She said patiently. "I didn't want you to know that I was coming to the hospital because it was supposed to be a surprise."

"Sasuke, we're having a baby."

And everything bombarded him at once. The reason they were whispering excitedly, his wife's secret visits to the hospital…it was because she was pregnant.

Sasuke's last thought was how stupid he was as he fainted on the hospital floor.

* * *

**a/n: OKAY OKAY I know Sasusaku month ended looooooong ago but I had this written and I completely forgot about it, and decided what the heck, it's already written and I might as well post it. I'm thinking of finishing the Sasusaku month prompts anyway, because I need more Sasusaku. Should I continue it? Thanks for the feedback guys!**


	12. Of Dreams and Nightmares

**Title: **Of Dreams and Nightmares

**Prompt:** Chasing a Dream

**Summary: **You have nightmares, and you have dreams. Somehow, you prefer the nightmares, because dreams force you to wake up to reality.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **K+

* * *

You have nightmares. You don't know it, but you do.

They're different, they always are. But they all have one thing in common.

Him.

He's the reason you writhe in bed at night, grabbing your sheets and screaming in agony. He's the reason you wake up gasping in the middle of the night, your face beaded with sweat and pink locks of hair a tangled mess. He's the reason you rock back and forth on your bed, hugging your knees and trying desperately, desperately to stop the tears from your eyes.

It's all because of him.

In the end of all your dreams, he leaves you. He leaves you like he has so many years ago, his face half turned to you, a backpack on his shoulders. He gives you that annoying smirk you've come to love. And he whispers, so softly, that you're still annoying.

Then he vanishes, sometimes in a burst of flame, or maybe he disappears in smoke. Sometimes he melts, yes, melts slowly into the ground. There are times he walks away into shadows until he is nothing but a black dot in the horizon. And sometimes, you blink and he's just gone.

Either way, he leaves you.

And you hate it because you feel weak. Pathetic, and weak. And you sob in bed and wail and cry because you're supposed to be the strong one. You're supposed to be the strong one for everybody. Yet, your nightmares give you away.

There are special nights, though. Those special nights where you don't have nightmares. Instead, you have fantasies. Fantasies to good to come true. Dreams that you sorely wish would never end.

In those rare dreams, he loves you. He loves you with all his heart and all his soul. In those dreams, you are happy, and so is he. He isn't that egotistical bent on revenge jerk who left you when you were children – no. He is sweet, kind, loving and caring. He brings you roses, and buys you expensive chocolates to let you know he loves you. He tucks the two of you under the covers, swinging an arm around your lithe little waist and pressing you closer to him, giving you a small kiss on the cheek as well. He tells you he loves you every morning before going off to missions. He gives you hugs. He gives you kisses.

He makes you feel loved.

But somehow, these are the worst, and you hate them. You hate these dreams with a burning passion. You hate them more than anything else. More than Orochimaru, more than Itachi, more than the Akatsuki, more than him himself. You hate those dreams the most.

Because when you wake up, it feels wrong. You expect to wake up to his feather light kisses and warm hug. When you wake up, you realize reality. You realize that all that bliss, all that beauty, has all been a dream.

And you scream, you scream even louder than you ever had before. You scream into the dead of night until you're sure your vocal chords will break. You scream and scream and scream.

Because you know it'll never be true. You're only chasing a dream. You're never going to wake up to raven dark hair beside you. You'll never be able to peck him on the cheek and wish him good luck for work. You'll never be able to do any of those things, because they're just dreams. Silly little dreams that you know will never, ever be real.

You scream until you can't take it, and you collapse on the bed out of exhaustion, your limbs shaking and your body caving in, small sobs escaping from the back of your throat as tears stream down your eyes.

You never see him. Ever. He hides in the corners of darkness, thriving in the shadows. He is a phantom, invisible. You never see his hunched figure right outside your window, crouched as he watches you twitch and grab at the sheets, wailing his name as you cry out. You only see his red eyes for an instant, casting a genjutsu that sends you into that blissful dreamland where he loves you, and only you.

Those red eyes are always seared in your mind, and you don't know why.


	13. Sakura, The Bloody Tease

**Title: **Sakura, the Bloody Tease

**Prompt:** Fish out of Water

**Summary: **Who knew an innocent pool game could be so naughty?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

It was supposed to be an innocent pool game. That was all. Fish out of Water. It was summer, and they were bored, there were no missions, and they had a pretty lake right in front of them that no one was using so what the heck, let's all play Fish out of Water!

At least, that was what Naruto said, that stupid, bumbling idiot.

But somehow, _everyone_ listens to him because he's freaking Naruto, and somehow people just listen to whatever comes out of his mouth. So in a flash, Konoha 11 (plus me) was all gathered around a huge lake in trunks and bikinis and we're ready to plunge in and play a kiddie game.

Simple game, simple rules. You could have your eyes open in the water but not out of the water. There was one searcher, and that searcher had to catch swimmers who had their heads out of the water to breathe. Then the searcher had to call out 'Fishy out of Water!' if they suspected that someone was out of the water. The swimmer caught would be the next searcher. Sounded simple enough. Heck, if I could summon gigantic snakes and grow freaky wings out of my back, then I could surely win a stupid kiddie game.

Ino volunteered to be first searcher, and I should've suspected something right away. Right before the game, she and that little pink-headed mischief maker were whispering away and giggling in the shade, glancing at me as I gave them my scariest Uchiha-patented glare, at which they laughed.

Dammit.

As I prepared to plunge in the pool, waiting for Naruto's mark, I should've guessed something was _seriously_ wrong when Sakura walked up to a spot right beside me, giving me a small smirk as she tucked her hair behind her ear. I should've heard the warning signals right away. But nooooooo, she had to be wearing a stupid bikini, showing off her long, creamy legs and her lithe body. And so the part of my brain that should have been warning me was muffled out by the sound of 'SAKURA SAKURA SAKURA SAKURA' wailing through my brain.

That green-eyed minx.

I miss Naruto's mark (curse her!), meaning I dive into the lake half a second later than everyone else. Dammit.

I swim, careful not to exert too much effort, and trying to conserve my breath. I close my eyes and concentrate on making sure the breath I took lasts as long as possible.

Then I feel it.

Her small, delicate hands land on my shoulders, slowly tracing small delicate patterns on my skin. Her thumb circles around my shoulders lazily, as if she had not a care in the world, which she probably didn't.

My eyes fly open in shock, and my breath escapes out of my mouth in a hurry, bubbles rising to the surface, leaving me choking on lake water. In a panic, I kick upwards desperately, my head breaking the surface as I take in a deep breath of air.

"Fishy out of water!"

I whip my head around in surprise to see Ino, her mouth pulled into a wide smirk in triumph. Sakura's head breaks the surface, and she says, "So Sasuke-kun's searcher now, right?" her face in an innocent smile.

"Sasuke! What the heck!" Naruto's head peeks out of the water, his face in an evident frown. "That was what, twenty seconds? That's pathetic!"

I feel a growl at the back of my throat as Kiba decides to make an appearance, Akamaru not far behind him. "Woah, don't tell me the great Sasuke Uchiha can't hold his breath for more than 20 seconds now, can he?" he snickers as his dog gives an approving bark at his words.

All this while Sakura is smiling, her green eyes shining as if she has nothing to do with it. I send her a piercing glare, her head cocked to the side in a questioning stare.

Oh, she's gonna get it.

Once everyone's heads are out of the water, Naruto yells once again, and we all immerse ourselves in the water once again. I keep my eyes wide open, looking out for anyone in the vicinity who could rise out of the water at any moment.

And of course, I feel it again.

Her hands flit across my back, then trail down to my arms, tracing the contours of my muscles as I tense in surprise. I whip around, but she's already gone.

And suddenly her arms are around my stomach and her chest is pressed against my back. I feel her cheek on the nape of my neck, and her hair tickles me and I instinctively take a deep breath, inhaling water instead of air.

Her accursed arms release me and I head for the surface, forgetting about her completely as I choke and cough once I'm out of the water. Oh, I hate her. I bloody hate her, the tease. She's doing this on purpose. She planned this with Ino all along, didn't she?

I dive back in the water, a newfound determination in my eyes. She's gonna get it. She's so gonna get it. She's–

I see her. Right in front of me.

I widen my eyes in shock. A smile graces her lips as the corner of her mouth curves slightly upward in a knowing way. Her green eyes are twinkling with mischief, her short pink hair flowing around her carelessly. Before I can react, she presses flush against me and places her head next to mine so my cheek can feel hers.

Then in a slow, teasing manner, she licks my earlobe.

I break.

I grab her waist, pulling her closer against me. She lets out a small sound in surprise. My other hand is splayed at the top of her back as her hands land on my shoulders. My legs kick, and she makes another small sound as I kick them both towards the surface.

As our heads emerge out of the water, she's gasping. She looks at me, her green eyes clouded with confusion. One hand still at her waist, I pull her head closer to mine so our foreheads are almost touching.

"Fishy out of water." I whisper softly.

Then I crush my lips to hers as she squeaks in surprise. She responds, moving her mouth to mine as her hands move from my shoulders to my head, intertwining her fingers with my raven black hair.

One by one, Konoha 11 break the surface, most of them confused as to why their searcher was no longer searching. I hear Ino make a small squeal of delight as Lee wails in agony. Neji lifts an eyebrow and Tenten gives a small smirk of victory, as they knew this was going to happen all along. Hinata sports a blush while Kiba groans in exasperation. Shino watches uninterestedly and Choji and Shikamaru shake their heads.

Naruto, however, is the one who screams.

"GUYS! GET A ROOM! I'M GONNA BE SCARRED FOR LIFE, DAMMIT!"

**a/n: Yes, Fish out of Water is a real swimming game, but I've never played it - I saw it on Wikipedia. Keep the reviews coming please!**


	14. A Wake-Up Call

**Title: **A Wake-Up Call

**Prompt:** Our First Place

**Summary:** When I woke up in the morning, I wasn't expecting to be in a different bed with nothing but my bra and panties on.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

_Riiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

"Shut. Up."

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

"Shut up!" I groan, burying my face in the pillow. My left arm stretches out, waving around as I try to reach for my alarm clock. When I don't find it, I frown into my pillow. I edge to the left, reaching my arm out further as I blindly try to knock down the clock and end my torture.

_Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!_

Where in the world is that stupid alarm clock?

I groan in frustration and lift my head out of my pillow, staring angrily to my right at my alarm clock…

…which isn't there.

I squint in confusion, shaking the sleep out of my head. My eyes widen as I take in my surroundings. The alarm clock isn't to my left, but to my right. Instead, I'm facing a small desk with scrolls and pencils scattered on top. The whole room is painted blue. The window is to the right of the bed, and when I look up, I see a ceiling fan.

I turn over quickly, the white sheets covering me tangling between my legs. I do a quick once over of the room, confirming with fear what I suspected to be true. I then look down over my body and scream his name.

A head of black hair appears by the doorway, and I scream again, quickly pulling the sheets over my body. His Sharingan is activated, the katana in his hand. His eyes scan over me and he frowns in confusion as I give him a piercing glare.

"What?"

What. What. WHAT? Is that what he says?

"Oh, nothing Sasuke. Just wanted to ask WHY THE HECK I'M IN YOUR BED PRACTICALLY NAKED!"

I'm panting now, my face red, whether from anger or embarrassment I'm not sure. My pink hair is a mess, flying out in all directions. He just stares at me, an unconcerned look in his eyes as I look daggers at him.

He sighs, sheathing his katana and walking into the room. He leans his back on the wall, his hands behind his head as he stares at the ceiling. "Is there a problem?"

"Sasuke! I'm wearing nothing but my bra and underwear!"

He raises an eyebrow. "So? I've seen you in less, Sakura." He says lazily.

I flush, and if I wasn't red before I am now. He smirks as I sputter and try to collect myself. I pull the sheets closer to myself, trying in vain to cover up more of my body. I end up clutching the edge of the sheet to my neck, breathing deeply as I try to calm myself from exploding. He continues smirking at me, the corner of his mouth twitching occasionally.

He. Has. The. Gall.

Damn him.

"Where am I, Sasuke?"

"Why don't you guess?"

"Just hurry up and tell me, Sasuke! It's 7:30 in the morning and I'm not in the mood to play games!"

"…We're at that new apartment Naruto was talking about last week. The one right beside the Academy."

"…What are we doing here?"

He gives me what I've labeled 'the look', the one that makes you feel like the answer is so obvious that you're an idiot for not knowing anything.

I narrow my eyes and glare right back, giving him what he's labeled _my_ look, the one that makes you feel like you are so screwed (and you probably are) if you don't answer me _right now_.

He must have recognized it, because his smirk toned down a bit. Just a bit.

"This is our first place."

"What?"

"I bought it last night, after we got out of the bar."

"I don't remember that."

"Of course you didn't. You passed out after drinking your seventh beer. I had to carry you here. You're heavy."

I glare at him some more, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Wait a sec." I ask, my brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean 'our first place'?"

He smiles now, an actual, rare Sasuke-branded smile.

"Well Sakura, I've decided we're going to live together."

I gape at him, my jaw hanging open as I watch him calmly walk out of the door. On his way out, he pauses.

"Oh, and Sakura? Get comfortable in a bra and underwear. This apartment only has one bedroom."

I stare at him, trying to comprehend what he said. When it finally kicks in, he's left the room and I pull the cover over my head, groaning.

This will be fun.


	15. Wrong Conclusion

**Title: **Wrong Conclusion

**Prompt:** Grounded

**Summary:** After getting grounded, Mamoru Uchiha hears some very interesting things that causes him to arrive at a wrong conclusion….

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

* * *

I slouch, and look down on the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes. My hands are clasped behind my back and I bite my lip, waiting for the oncoming punishment.

"You're..."

_Please don't say it please don't say it please don't say it pleasedon'tsayit_

"Grounded."

_Nooooooooooooo!_

I groan and throw my head back, letting go of my hands. "But mom–"

"Don't give me your excuses! You know perfectly well you can't go around beating people up!" I finally look at her, her hands on her hips and her green eyes sparkling with anger. "I don't care what your excuses are, but you are not going anywhere for a week!"

"But mom, he was making fun of my hair!"

"Mamoru Uchiha, if you make one more complaint I will personally drag you to your room and tie you to your chair for the rest of the day."

I gulp, holding my tongue as she continues giving me a threatening glare. I don't want to test her. The citizens of Konoha still talk about the day she threw my father into the Hokage Monument. You can still see the crater from a mile away.

"You are staying home the rest of the week, understand?"

"Yes mom." I grumble, stalking up to my room.

The minute I'm inside, I close the door and groan, flopping onto my bed. Honestly, I don't see why I should be grounded for protecting my dignity! If I let just anyone make stupid comments about my hair, then it would never stop!

I run my fingers through my hair, groaning into the mattress. Of all the genes to inherit from my mother, I get her pink hair. I mean, pink hair's nice on her (not that anyone would say anything different, or face her wrath) but she's a _girl._ A girl! Am I a girl? No. I'm a boy. A man!

And I don't need people questioning my manliness because of my stupid pink hair!

I flip over and groan again, hopefully loud enough for my mom to hear. Maybe if she's in a good mood, she'll let me off the hook.

Seriously, of all the parents in the world, I get the most stubborn, most hardheaded ones anyone could imagine. Not to mention they're famous. And they were on the same team as the Hokage. And everyone remembers them as the two of the three on Team 7, the team that kicked ass in the Fourth Great Ninja War.

And they somehow expect even _more_ from me.

At least, my dad does.

Another groan. I hope mom's hearing this. It's her fault.

It's not like I'm a bad ninja. I mean, I managed to activate my Sharingan last year, when I was twelve. And I mastered my father's famed Chidori a few months ago, pretty impressive seeing as I'm only 13. Not to mention I've pretty much perfected every single fire jutsu the Uchiha clan has to offer. And I managed to pass the Chunin Exam a month ago, too. In fact, Konoha considers me the prodigy of my generation.

But the problem with being an Uchiha? The world expects you to be super awesome. Not _just_ awesome – super awesome. Being a prodigy just isn't enough anymore. It's pretty much the norm for an Uchiha to be one. I mean, you have my dead uncle, Itachi, who was named a prodigy and one of the most powerful ninja of all time. Heck, he helped save the world as a reincarnated zombie! Once the news got out that he massacred my clan for the sake of the world, the village hailed him as a hero. And then we have my dad, who's well, the legendary Sasuke Uchiha. No need for explanation.

I think people expect me to save the world from total destruction or something.

Oh wait, dad pretty much did that.

Shit.

I hate being grounded. Too much time to think.

Maybe I should go talk to mom. If I apologize, she'll probably cut my grounding short.

* * *

I stalk up to the room, taking small steps. I can do this. If I catch her at a good mood, I can tolerate the lecture and escape. Maybe if I say–

"Uhhhhhhhhh…Ohhhh…Oh! OH!"

I frown, the noises stopping my train of thought. What was that?

I hear a bang, and I jump, instinctively reaching for my kunai in my pouch. Did it come from my mom's room?

"Please! PLEASE!"

Oh my gosh, I think there's someone in mom's room! That was mom's voice! Is someone there? Is she being tortured or something?

"Oh! Ahhhhh! Please! Ughhhhhh!"

I freeze and panic. Mom's being attacked! No!

I dash into the room, slamming the door open, kunai in hand…

…and see my mom and dad in an…_interesting_ position on the bed.

Oops.

"Mamoru!" my dad says, climbing off of my mother as she hurriedly grabs a sheet and covers herself with it. "Wh-what…"

My father? Sasuke Uchiha? Speechless? This has got to be a first.

"Mamoru, what are you doing here?" My mother says calmly, although she's fire-engine red and still clutching a sheet to her chest.

"Ah…uh…I was wondering…you know…grounded…sorry…" The whole spiel I had been practicing five minutes ago has disappeared.

"Well…ah…okay. If you're really sorry, then you can, ah, you can go out starting tomorrow then." She says, glancing at my father, her face flushed.

"O-okay."

I sprint out of the room, trying to erase the horrible, ghastly image from my mind.

Dammit. I knew I said wanted to catch my mom at a good time, but not _that_ good of one!

* * *

**a/n: Okay, not much Sasusaku, but I wanted to explore how it would be like for an Uchiha kid with super high standards. Please review!**


	16. Secret-Keeper

**Title: **Secret-Keeper

**Prompt:** Secrets

**Summary: **There are some things that are meant to be told. And then there those things that are meant to be kept secret.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

**_There are some things that are meant to be told._**

"Shizune? Is Tsunade-sama busy?"

"No, she's just in her office. Go ahead."

**_And then there are those things that are meant to be kept secret._**

"Tsunade-sama."

"Sakura, what a surprise! I wasn't expecting you today."

**_But sometimes…one can't keep a secret any longer._**

"Tsunade-sama…can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Certainly. Is something wrong?"

**_There's a limit one reaches._**

"I…I need to tell you something. And…I need you not to tell anyone else."

"Sakura…what's going on?"

**_A point where one can't handle it anymore._**

"I…I…"

**_And I've reached it._**

"I'm pregnant."

I run through the forest, jumping on the trees. The leaves rustle as I land on a branch and leap to the next one. My black cloak shrouds me in darkness, the hood covering my face. My green eyes glance back every once in a while, checking to see if anyone is following me.

**_I don't want to do this._**

I bite my lip, stopping on the next branch. I look down at the bundle I clutch to my chest, unwrapping the cloth near the top. His small, chubby face coos, and he flashes me a toothless smile as I stroke his cheek.

**_But I have no choice._**

He has a tuft of pink hair on his head, something he regretfully inherited from me. But his eyes – his eyes are what gives him away. They're the same shade of black as his father's. He has those same deep, dark onyx eyes that I fell in love with.

**_I have to do this._**

I cover his face up again, a small smile on my face as I hear a cry of protest. Holding him to my chest once again, I jump to the next branch, determination coursing through my veins.

**_For you._**

**_Mamoru Uchiha._**

**_I see them. They're here._**

I see her telltale green robe and long blonde hair. She gives a sad smile as I approach them. She looks to her left, where my silver-haired sensei stands in wait. I stand in front of them, both their attentions focused on the bundle in my arms. There's something akin to awe or wonder in their eyes. It's soon replaced with sadness and regret.

**_I know. I don't want him to leave, either._**

Subconsciously, I clutch him closer to my chest. Kakashi looks at me, his face somber. He and Tsunade are the only one who knows about this. They're the only one who knows I have a son.

A son with a missing-nin.

A son with Sasuke Uchiha.

Kakashi holds out his arms, prepared to take him away.

**_I'm sorry. I have to do this._**

I hand him over, my heart heavy. Kakashi takes the boy with one arm, pulling his hood over his head with the other. I brush my finger to his cheek, smiling as he coos. I look up to see Kakashi, my green eyes pleading with him to take care of my son.

He looks at me and nods slightly in understanding, and leaps into the trees to bring my baby to an orphanage in a remote village, where he'll never be discovered.

**_Please forgive me, Mamoru._**

"I know it was hard." Tsunade whispers, looking at me with pity in her eyes.

I say nothing, staring at Kakashi's disappearing figure.

**_This shouldn't have happened._**

"Sakura, will you ever tell us how…?" she asks hesitantly, her words bringing back memories.

**_It was one night._**

I press my lips together. Tears are gathering in the corner of my eyes.

**_One night couldn't hurt._**

_He pressed against me, his face in my hair as my nails dig into his back. Our clothes are now scattered on the forest floor. He has me pressed against a tree, his tongue forceful and demanding as they travel across my skin. I let out a breathy moan as he bites my shoulder possessively. _

**_Forget everything. Forget the Akatsuki, forget Konoha, forget the mission, forget the missing-nin status. _**

_I look into his eyes, his Mangekyo Sharingan glinting in the moonlight._

_I shouldn't be doing this. But I am._

**_Forget._**

_He leaves me on the floor, panting. He looks back at me once, then gathers his Akatsuki robe and Kusanagi and walks away, like he always has._

A tear finally slips out, trailing down my face.

**_I thought it wouldn't hurt. It was one night. One night with the man I loved. The man I still love, no matter what he's become._**

It's becoming too much again.

**_There are some things that are meant to be told._**

I open my mouth, the words on the tip of my tongue…

**_And then there are those things that are meant to be kept secret._**

I close it again, pressing my lips together in determination. No. This is my secret. They shall never know. That was my night, my night and his, and it was ours alone.

They shall never know.

I shall keep my secret.

**a/n: Now then, this was angsty and different. I kind of liked it though. In case anyone's interested, she got pregnant with Mamoru sometime when Sasuke was an Akatsuki, with his team. Please review!**

**PS: Mamoru means protector/guard.**


	17. The Magic Ribbon

**Title: **The Magic Ribbon

**Prompt:** Inventions

**Summary: **How to make boys fall in love with you?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**Rating: **T

"Mommy!"

A slight smile crosses her lips and she pauses in her task, glancing at the little girl behind her. "What is it, Sachiko?"

"I think I'm in love!"

She raises her eyebrows, turning back to her task, dutifully scrubbing away on the sink. "Oh really now?"

"Yeah! I think I love Kaito!"

Now she stops, the hand clutching the sponge stopping mid-scrub. She flips her hair backwards, flinging the bangs away from her face. Glancing back at the excited girl, she smiles in amusement. "Kaito? Kaito Yamanaka?"

"Yeah, yeah! He and I were partners for a project in the Academy today! He was so nice! He listened to everything I said, mommy!"

_More like he didn't want to say anything himself,_ thought the mother as she resumed washing the dishes. She knew Kaito was every bit like his father, Sai. The emotionless boy would only speak when extremely necessary (which to him, was pretty much never), and could look like he was listening attentively to what you were saying when in reality he was thinking of what he'd eat for dinner.

She placed the last dish in the dryer and wiped her hands on the towel, turning her full attention to her daughter. "Well, Kaito is a very nice boy."

"That's what I told Auntie Ino!"

Her eyebrows shot straight up, and she pushed her pink bangs away from her face as she asked, "You…told Auntie Ino you liked Kaito?"

"Yep!"

"Sachiko…you do know…Auntie Ino is Kaito's _mother_ don't you?"

"Yep! She said I could go to her house any time to see Kaito! Isn't that great?"

The pinkette inwardly sighs in exasperation. Leave it to her best friend to play matchmaker for a bunch of five year olds. "Well then, I guess if your Auntie says so…"

"But…mommy?"

"Yes?"

"What if…what if he doesn't like me?"

She turns to look at her daughter, whose dark green eyes are sparkling with something she herself felt so long ago. She remembered the insecurity that she herself had felt thinking about a certain onyx-eyed boy…

She walks across the room, undoing her daughter's pink hair from their pigtails. "You know what? I'll tell you a secret."

She almost laughs as her daughter's eyes widen in surprise. "Secret? Mom, what secret?"

Standing up, she walks upstairs and disappears, leaving the poor little girl confused. When she appears moments later, she has a red ribbon in her hands.

"What's that, mommy?"

"It's a magic ribbon. I invented it." She says, giving a knowing smile.

"A…magic ribbon?"

"Yep." She gently turns her daughter's head towards her, fashioning the red ribbon into a headband. "You want to know what it does?"

Her daughter's eyes light up, awe clouding her features. "What…what does it do?"

She smiles, and puts her head beside her daughter's ear. "It makes boys fall in love with you." Leaning forward some more, she softens her voice, saying, "It's how I got your father to fall in love with me."

Pulling back, she smiles. Her daughter is now smiling, gently touching the red ribbon in her hair. She leaps out of her chair, a huge smile on her face. The woman laughs as her daughter runs up the stairs, yelling, "Kaito is gonna be my boyfriend!"

"So, it's how you made me fall in love with you?"

A gasp escapes her lips as arms wrap around her waist from behind her and a chin rests on her shoulder.

"S-Sasuke!"

"Hn…I never thought it was the ribbon. The hair, I suspected. The eyes, maybe. The ribbon?"

"It's magic."

"Hn. But you never wore the ribbon when we were together. Not even in our genin team."

"It's not the point."

He puts his lips beside her ear, whispering, "So what is?"

"That ribbon…gave me confidence. Ino gave that to me so I would believe in myself. And that…that was made you fall in love with me."

His lips are still by her ear, touching, but just barely. She can feel his breath tickling her neck, and she can barely hold it together.

"I see."

Then he spins her around and smashes her lips against hers, his mouth possessive, demanding. She responds, moaning against his touch, threading her hands in his raven black hair. She will never get tired of him, and she knows he will never be tired of her.

When they break apart, her lips are swollen, and she is breathless. She looks into his eyes, the black pools of darkness that convey so much yet so little.

"Well…it worked."

Sakura Uchiha concluded that the magic ribbon was the best thing she ever invented.

**a/n: Thanks so much for reading! 1 review = 1 imaginary unicorn!**

**And thank you to all the reviews, favourites and follows that I've gotten so far from you guys! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**


End file.
